It's fair to say that it's been a pretty frenetic season for the Destiny crew so far. Since their traumatic arrival on the Ancient ship, they've almost collided with a star, been killed off by a virulent disease and witnessed a shocking murder. Now back for the second half of its freshman season, Stargate Universe shows no signs of slowing the action. Keen to find out more, we got out our Stargate and dialled up Brian J. Smith - aka Lt. Matthew Scott - for a quick chat.

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Were you a fan of the Stargate franchise before joining the show?
"I hadn't seen them! I'd heard of them, but I didn't watch them until I got the job. To be honest, I was a little bit weirded out because what I was watching was nothing compared to what they were telling us that Universe was gonna be like. This is so different to other versions."

Were you nervous joining a franchise with such a dedicated following?
"No, because I had no idea what I was getting myself into at the time! By the time I had figured out what I'd got myself into, it was too late!"

We've just entered the second half of the season. Where does Scott's story arc take him?
"I think his relationships with people will be explored further. I don't wanna say too much but I will say that a lot of things come up in the second half of the season."

You said recently that Scott will "find his purpose" as the season progresses. What did you mean by that?
"I think 'purpose' was a bad word. I just mean that we'll get inside him a bit more. They're on this ship and it's like he's been thrown into the water and we're gonna see if he'll sink or swim."

We know that the Destiny crew will have its first encounter with some aliens. What was it like filming those scenes?
"Honestly, that was scary! When he first got told about them I thought, 'Oh no, this isn't us - this isn't our show!' Stargate Universe didn't seem to me to be about that, but when I looked back at the first scene [with the aliens], I knew it was right - the creators could do anything with this show and make it look good. Now that we've pulled that off, I'm really inspired."

Someone's held captive on the aliens' ship, aren't they?
"There might be more than one person! I think there are going be implications later on too. There are a couple of people who have to go out and look for their good friends on a rescue mission!"

What teasers can you give us about the season finale?
"There's something that happens in that finale which is truly shocking. I was surprised that the writers would do something so brave and so bold and put this character in that sort of situation. I don't wanna say much more, but it made me angry when I first read it!"

Does that mean someone dies?
"I can neither confirm nor deny that!"

Finally, it's been reported that Robert Knepper is joining the cast for season two. What's his character like?
"Yes, he is. Oh, wait. Was I allowed to say that?! I'm not sure if that's been confirmed yet. He plays an amazing character, and that's all you're gonna get from me! He's so talented and his character will be huge."

Stargate Universe airs Tuesdays at 8pm on Sky1 in the UK and Fridays at 9pm on Syfy in the US.